Soup Sandwich
by M. K. Field Notes
Summary: After a decree from a disgruntled Hokage, the Academy becomes the strict military institution is should have always been. Shaved heads, fatigues, and barracks. No one is ready for the ramifications of having a competent and skilled shinobi force. No one expects the outcome from genin teams living with their jounin-sensei. Naruto just got a whole lot more interesting.
1. SHAVETAIL PT1

**I do not own the Naruto franchise. Naruto is trademarked by Masashi Kishimoto – who is generous enough to allow myself and other fanfiction authors to play with his creations and concepts. Thank you, Kishimoto.**

The concept of this piece is some odd combination of my experience with the military as well as the Naruto canonical universe. I took major liberties with character backgrounds, basic logistics of the universe, as well as past and present timelines. You will notice major canon divergences straight away. I have special place in my heart for Sakura Haruno (who will be the POV of this fic) and the women in this universe.

If any of the above statements bother you, feel free to click away.

Also, here's a quick shout out to a comic that inspires a very specific line. You'll recognize it, I hope: /rhymewithrachel/status/752987175172599808

**SOUP SANDWICH: **SHAVETAIL PT.1

The Shinobi Academy was no longer what it used to be.

Gone were the days of rapid graduation by prodigal students.

Gone were the days of clan influence creating inconsistent levels of skill and general know-how in the genin-corps and larger shinobi-corps.

Following a decree from the Third Hokage, the Academy became the fine-tuned, military institution it, arguably, should have always been. Recruits were housed in provided barracks, their appearances standardized while their education and well-being were closely monitored. Recruits had equal access to warm food, mental and physical health resources, and a wealth of knowledge about the world around them.

Civilian and classless shinobi referred to it as the great equalizer. Those from clans called it unnecessarily regimented.

Sakura Haruno would concede that sure, it wasn't perfect – but, the Academy's results were far better than what they used to be. She would point to the statistics detailing lower casualty rates and an increased likelihood of career advancement for graduates of the past five years. The results, she would argue, showed the effectiveness of the new Academy against that of the past.

Sakura would also concede the new Academy was tougher on its recruits. Its graduation rates were lower for recruits from all sectors of the village. The Academy was lovingly referred to as 'four years of hell' by some due to the intensity of its coursework, physical training, and sense of competition between recruits and their units.

This did nothing to sway Sakura's decision to enroll, however.

She wanted the intensity, she wanted the physical training, she wanted to be the strongest in her class. In the Civilian Academy, she consistently placed first in her class (though she had the sneaking suspicion that the Nara in her class was too lazy to be bothered with studying, or trying in general). After class, she would practice katas, improve her throwing aim, and learn to control her chakra. Sure, she didn't make a lot of friends, but she was determined to be as prepared for the Shinobi Academy as she could. After all, this was her future she was preparing for – and how many kids would make it through the Academy at the end of the day?

So, on the morning after her graduation from the Civilian Academy, Sakura Haruno walked through the doors of the closest Shinobi Corps Entrance Processing Station with all the confidence she could muster. This Shinobi Corps Entrance Procession Stations, SCEPS, was connected to the only pediatrician's office in the civilian sector. It looked harsh next to the tall, wooden civilian buildings with its dull, concrete walls and metal doors.

_A harsh building for a harsh career_, Sakura's mother told her.

The inside of the SCEPS seemed as spartan as its outside. Simple, wooden benches lined the floors, metal doors with no windows signified the examination rooms, and a small desk with a secretary was placed to her right. There were only five kids in the room. Two of which were flush against the back wall, a girl with blonde hair fawning over… Uchiha. Sasuke Uchiha.

Sakura knew Sasuke Uchiha from the Civilian Academy. He placed second in their class and had a glare that could level a building. Sakura never understood her classmates' obsession with the Uchiha – he was a bit unsettling. She heard about the Uchiha Massacre, who hadn't? More importantly, she heard of the insanity that seemed to plague the Uchiha clan. So, she kept her distance. She figured a flight risk like him wouldn't make it through the Academy.

Sakura shook herself from her thoughts and walked to the front desk. The shinobi hardly spared her a glance, "Name and I.D.?"

She handed her village I.D. over to the man, "Haruno Sakura."

The shinobi sniffed and noted something down, "you are patient 33. A physician will call your number and conduct your examination. Any questions?"

Sakura shook her head and the shinobi handed back her I.D., "please take a seat."

She slipped her I.D. into the pocket of her gym shorts and turned to find a seat, huffing at the blatant disregard of the shinobi. The other three kids waiting for their examinations looked like average civilians. They looked about the right age to be in her class but she couldn't think of their names. She glanced at the back of the room and caught the Uchiha's gaze. His eyes were hard but… they didn't look particularly crazy; if anything, the kid seemed annoyed. Sakura shook herself, sat on a bench close to the wall on her left, and told herself not to get involved.

Sakura didn't think of herself as particularly unfriendly or antisocial. Her reluctance to become friends with the kids in her class at the Civilian Academy stemmed from a place of insecurity – not that she would ever admit it, but she didn't want to be looped into the same category as the other civilians playing shinobi. She didn't want to use either Academy as a social event like the other civilians she knew. If she had taken that a bit too far, well, she at least had the time she would spend at the Shinobi Academy to form bonds with the other kids.

"Patient 29."

One of the unmemorable kids stood up with a huff just as the front door slammed open, revealing a boy with yellow hair and ratty clothes. Sakura squinted at the kid as he went to the front desk, trying to recall his name.

_Narto? Boruto?_

She noted the two civilian kids edged away from the blond boy, their faces twisted as if they smelt something awful. Out of pure curiosity, Sakura took a sniff in his direction. She didn't smell anything but the waiting room's musty scent. The boy slunk over to a bench near hers and sat with a thump. He didn't send a single look in her direction.

She remembered that the kid liked to pull pranks, particularly clever pranks – such as the time the kid smeared itching powder on all the chalk in their classroom, leading their instructor to excuse them early in lieu of heading to the nurse's office. He was never caught.

The kid was clever, a trouble maker, but a clever trouble maker. Sakura could see the practical implications of the kid's pranks – an affinity for traps or subterfuge.

She hadn't been particularly social during her time at the Civilian Academy and maybe, just maybe, she ought to try to be social.

Sakura stood up and made her way to the kid's bench. She could feel the Uchiha's eyes follow her. With a huff, Sakura sat down and extended her hand to the kid, "hi, I'm Haruno Sakura, I forget your name."

The kid looked at her as if she had three heads but moved to shake her hand nonetheless, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"Naruto," Sakura tested the name to feel how it felt and sent the kid a grin, "I always enjoyed your pranks, thought they were clever."

"Really?" Naruto grinned back at her but his eyes were wide.

"Yep, my favorite was the itching powder on the chalk."

"Aah, that had to be one of my more difficult – "

Naruto paused mid-sentence and send her a wary look, "how did you know it was me."

Sakura snorted and knocked her shoulder against his, "you're the only kid in our class who could pull off a prank of that caliber."

She watched as the kid was torn between puffing up a bit at her compliment and feeling nervous. His pride won out in the end.

"Heh, I guess."

"Patient 30."

The Uchiha stood and made his way to one of the exam rooms, she felt his gaze on her back but Naruto didn't seem to notice. When he passed through the metal doorway and the physician shut the door behind them, Sakura leaned over and told Naruto in a hushed voice, "I bet he'll look like dirty cotton swab with his hair sheared off."

Naruto let out a barking laugh before leaning over, "I'll have my hair shaved, too."

"Yeah, but you won't look like you've sniffed dog shit."

The two broke into giggles and, distantly, Sakura swore that she heard a sneeze coming from the Uchiha's examination room.

"Are you aiming to join tactical when you graduate?"

Naruto looked at Sakura as if she had done something extraordinary, "what?"

"I mean, your pranks were really clever. I can see you specializing in traps or subterfuge after you make chūnin."

"You think I'd make chūnin?"

Sakura snorted, "well, of course. You've pulled pranks over trained shinobi – I bet that you'll advance quickly."

She furrowed her brows and thought on what the kid could accomplish, "if you do well enough on your written and physical exams. You know, I've been learning some of the Academy kata for the past couple weeks – from some scrolls from the library and from watching some students."

Naruto look struck, "I didn't think of that – of doing that."

"I can help you at the Academy if you want like – if you want to hang out."

Sakura felt her ears turn red but couldn't find it in her to feel embarrassed, Naruto was lighting up as if she had gifted him gold.

"You'd do that?"

"Well, yeah, we can be friends and all and – and you can teach me how to prank or something!"

She didn't know when she became so awkward… maybe she _had_ become antisocial at the Civilian Academy.

"Yeah! That sounds awesome Sakura-chan!"

Sakura let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and smiled widely, _he had added an honorific to her name._

An examination door opened and the civilian kid who went in earlier walked out with a sheared head and a duffel bag in his arms. Sakura turned to look at the kid and her eyes caught with the blonde girl who fawned over the Uchiha earlier. She looked… relieved, almost, that she was alone. Sakura smiled politely at the blonde who smiled back, "Sakura-chan, do you know her?"

The blonde stood and dusted off her lap.

"I don't, do you?"

"No, wasn't she in our class?"

The blonde made her way over to them and Sakura noticed, for the first time, that the girl had long hair. It seemed like a stupid thing to notice but the girl's hair seriously went down to her hip.

_Didn't that have to be super heavy?_

The girl sat on the bench besides them and got comfortable before introducing herself, "I'm Yamanaka Ino. I know you, Sakura – but I don't quite remember your name."

She pointed a manicured, _manicured_, finger at Naruto.

"Oh, uh, I'm Uzumaki Nar – "

Ino jumped to attention, "Naruto!"

Naruto gave the girl a confused look, "uh, yeah – "

"I knew it – I mean, I just wasn't one hundred percent sure that was your name."

Ino looked content and waved her hand, "anyways, I think this medical exam is making people nervous."

Sakura huffed, a bit annoyed at how the girl interrupted Naruto, but stayed quiet when Naruto gave an inquiring noise.

"Well, I asked Sasuke-kun how he slept last night and he told me that he never sleeps, he only _dreams_."

She choked and Naruto let out a disbelieving laugh. The two stared at Ino until they dissolved into giggles and Ino looked happy that she had made them laugh.

"Are you two nervous for the Academy?"

Sakura hummed, "not really, I've been preparing pretty hard."

"I'm not! I'm going to give it my all."

Sakura knocked her shoulders against Naruto, smiling wide, "Naruto-kun here is going to teach me how to prank."

She felt happiness radiate from Naruto and noticed that Ino looked deep in thought, "well, I've got a pretty good grasp on throwing and aiming stuff. I could help you two out during down time."

Sakura's wide smile shifted into something a bit shyer, "That'd be awesome, Yamanaka-san."

"Please, its Ino-chan to you, Pinkie-chan."

Sakura flushed and Naruto let out a laugh. She shoved his shoulder and he shoved right back, grinning wildly.

"Patient 31."

Ino stood and stretched, "well, that's me! Hey, we all should walk to the Academy tomorrow morning."

Sakura hummed and looked thoughtful, "well, we can meet by Kaito's café and get some coffee?"

Sakura loved coffee, she loved the smell and the flavor and – well – pretty much everything else about it.

"I have to have breakfast with my parents, but I can meet you when you're done?

"Sure – "

"Then it sounds like a plan, Pinkie-chan! I'll see you two tomorrow."

Ino turned to make her way to the physician just as the Uchiha walked out of the neighboring examination room. Her face twisted at his newly shaved head and Naruto choked.

_Well, _Sakura thought, _he really does look like a dirty cotton swab_.

She patted Naruto's head distractedly, "I'll pay my respects to your hair, now."

Naruto shoved her off the bench as she broke down in giggles.


	2. SHAVETAIL PT2

**I do not own the Naruto franchise. Naruto is trademarked by Masashi Kishimoto – who is generous enough to allow myself and other fanfiction authors to play with his creations and concepts. Thank you, Kishimoto.**

So, the chapters from here on out will be longer. This also means that my update rate will be a bit slower than I would like – I'm aiming for an update rate of one chapter a week. I'm on a break from school right now (yay!) but am getting flown out to Uzbekistan for my job in two weeks. On the bright side, I'll have lots on time on the plane to write.

Also, I unashamedly plan to make Naruto a caffeine addict, Sakura a chain smoker, Sasuke a sweater-boy tm, and Shikamaru motivated as fuck. Don't ask me how, just know that it will happen.

**SOUP SANDWICH: **SHAVETAIL PT.2

Sakura had a hard time narrowing down the things she wanted to take with her to the Academy. She had her physical training (PT) gear, her fatigue and boots, two outfits for free weekends, and her personal hygiene items. She didn't want to bring much else. She wasn't worried about theft or misplacing her stuff – she just didn't think she'd have time for anything other than training, eating, and sleeping.

So, at 0540, Sakura bid her parents goodbye, slung her bag over her shoulder, and made her way to Kaito's Café. The café was on Konoha's main street and was a popular morning pit stop for both civilians and shinobi. Since it was so popular, she wanted to be the first one there to secure a spot for Naruto and herself.

With that thought in mind, Sakura jogged from the civilian sector onto main street, watching as the sky lightened. Lost in thought, she almost jogged past Naruto and the café. Naruto sat on the bench in front of the café and looked as if he was dozing.

"Naruto-kun!"

The kid sprung to his feet but relaxed when he saw her. He was dressed in his PT gear, just like her, and she wondered if she looked as ridiculous and he did with their loose grey shirts, baggy navy shorts, knee and elbow pads, and chunky sandals. Sakura gave the kid a hug and a once over, "well, your hair doesn't look as bad as I thought it would."

He punched her shoulder and laughed, "well, neither does yours."

The standardized hair style for a kunoichi-in-training was a tight bun at the nape of the neck, no flyaways. She thought she looked like a hardboiled egg with her hair slicked back.

Sakura glanced at the bag Naruto's feet and noticed, with some relief, that his duffel bag looked as empty as hers.

"I think I look like a delinquent."

Sakura snorted, "no more than before."

Naruto lunged at her and she let out a laugh. Around them, the buildings were painted in yellow and purple as the sun slowly rose. It made the village seem sleepy. The shopkeepers quietly slid open the garage doors shielding the front of their stores and bustled about, getting ready for the day.

At some point, it must have become six because Kaito's Café suddenly lit up and the burly man who owned the café opened the door. Kaito was an imposing looking man, all muscles and scars. She was almost certain he was a retired shinobi.

"Haruno-san, it's nice to see you here so early!"

Sakura adjusted her bag strap and waited for Naruto to grab his duffel, "it's our first day at the Academy! We start at seven."

Sakura's parents loved Kaito's coffee, and when she was younger, indulged her when she asked for sips out of their cups. They had inadvertently stoked the flames of her early addiction but neither of her parents had seemed to mind – after all, it only gave them more reason to stop by the café.

Behind her, Naruto grunted and she smiled back at him.

"This is Uzumaki Naruto, Kaito-san. He's my friend."

Kaito smiled widely at the boy and gestured for them to step into his shop, "well, any friend of Haruno-san's is a friend of mine."

Sakura walked into the shop, inhaling the wonderful scent of coffee and espresso, and turned to see Kaito giving Naruto a warm handshake, asking how the boy's morning had been. Feeling comfortable leaving the two to talk, Sakura settled at a small table near the café's front window. She absently watched Kaito and Naruto chatter as the sun warmed her back. Naruto must have said something to make the man laugh and Kaito patted the boy's shoulder. Naruto made his way over to Sakura as Kaito went behind the counter, getting their coffee. The boy slid into the seat on the other side of the table and dropped his bag at his feet, "I think this is my new favorite place."

Sakura leaned back in her chair, a smug smile in place, "I knew you'd like it."

Naruto let out a laugh and Kaito stopped by their table holding two mugs of coffee.

"These two are on the house for our village's newest shinobi."

"We won't be shinobi until we graduate, Kaito-san!"

Kaito nodded, scratching his chin as if he hadn't known, "of course, Haruno-san. Don't know how I could've forgotten."

He set down the coffee nonetheless and Sakura giggled. Naruto took his first sip from the mug. He looked shocked at the flavor but went for another sip. His face brightened and took a bigger sip before giving Kaito a thumbs up, "this is great, Kaito-san!"

Kaito looked pleased, "why thank you, Uzumaki-san."

Still smiling, Kaito went to greet another customer as they walked through the door. Sakura directed her attention to Naruto who, the moment she looked away, downed the rest of his cup. She lifted her eyes from the kid to the clock on the wall behind his back. 0620. Sakura took her first sip of coffee and smiled, "so, you liked your first cup?"

Naruto responded immediately, "it was awesome!"

"It's Kaito-san's coffee, of course it was awesome!."

Naruto laughed and played with the handle of his mug, "are you nervous at all?"

Sakura put down her mug and kept her eyes on the clock, 0623, "yeah, I'm pretty nervous."

"I'm glad I'm not the only one."

Sakura hummed and went for another sip. It really was delicious coffee. She put her cup down and trained her eyes on Naruto, "I've heard that it's pretty tough and has a steep dropout rate."

Naruto was still playing with the handle of his mug, the corners of his eyes tightening, "I've heard the same."

Sakura leaned forward, her sudden movement startling Naruto, "but, we'll be fine."

Naruto, whether it was true bravado or not, gave her a big grin, "of course we will!"

"Naruto-kun, we can be top shinobi if we want to."

His eyes went wide, "Saku – "

"I'm _serious_. We can do it! I want to be the best – don't you?"

He straightened his shoulders, "of course I want to be the best, and, you know what?!"

Naruto stood up and Kaito, as well as the poor customers who only wanted a cup of coffee before work, gave him curious looks, "we're gonna do it. We'll take the top two spots!"

He put out his fist and looked at Sakura, one eyebrow raised. Smiling widely, Sakura stood and bumped his fist. A couple of the customers cheered or laughed in response. Naruto looked a bit blindsided by their response but grinned wide nonetheless. Sakura eyed the clock and grabbed at her bag. It was 0638.

"Naruto-kun, we oughta go, Yamanaka-san'll be here any minute."

Naruto scrambled to get his bad out from under the table and Kaito made his way to their table, "gotta blast?"

Sakura edged out from behind her table and handed Kaito her cup, "yep! We're waiting on a friend before we head over."

Kaito smiled as Naruto hurried to do the same as Sakura, "well, good luck! We're expecting big things!"

A few of the customers echoed the sentiment and Sakura grinned, "we'll do our best, Kaito-san!"

Kaito, with their two mugs in hand, waved for them to go – and out the door they went. They hardly got a foot out the door before a familiar voice echoed down main street, "Pinkie-chan!"

Ah, Ino was right on time. She ran down the street, her duffel bag streaming behind her like a fat flag and – _how did all that hair fit into a bun?_

When Ino reached them, she had to lean on Sakura and try and catch her breath, "jeez, I barely got out of breakfast in time. Kaachan barely finished cutting my hair at _six!_"

_Oh, that makes sense._

With her breathing even, Ino leaned off Sakura and spun to give the two a grin, "feeling ready?"

"Of course we are!"

Naruto gave a big grin and a thumbs up, "you're looking at the next top Academy students!"

Ino laughed a bit and linked her arms in theirs, setting the pace as they all walked down main street towards the Academy, "well, I don't want to get left behind."

Letting out a theatrical sigh, Ino continued, "I guess I'll have to try for a top spot as well."

Sakura laughed and gave Ino a side look. She knew Ino didn't try very hard at the Civilian Academy, she spent so much time fawning over the Uchiha or chatting with her friends – but, maybe with the stakes being as high as they were at the Academy, Ino would try her best. Sakura spoke, a smile lighting her voice, "we'll take top three, then."

Ino smiled, "it'll be hard, though. It's good we're getting there early – I heard the instructors are less harsh on the kids who get there early."

"Ino-chan, do you think the instructors will really be mean?"

Ino huffed at Naruto and Sakura elbowed her a bit and, not unkindly, Ino continued, "I heard our first set of instructors will be the harshest and that every year at least three kids puke before the first day is over. But, if you have tough skin, you'll be fine."

"I have the toughest skin! This'll be nothing – "

"Naruto! If you yell like that you'll get your _ass kicked_."

Naruto sputtered and Sakura sighed, "Naruto-kun, shinobi ought to be stealthy. That means only yelling when you're with friends and definitely not in front of instructors."

Properly chastised, Naruto muttered, "I wouldn't yell in front of an instructor."

Before them, the main street broke way to the front courtyard of the Academy.

"I've always thought the Academy looked like some sort of messed up wedding cake."

Ino choked and Sakura let out a loud laugh, "you're right, Naruto-kun. In a sort of weird way, you're totally right."

The Academy was built in layers, rising far above their heads. Around the building were concrete buildings where, Sakura could only assume, the barracks were. Maybe a training field or two. Civilian Academy students weren't allowed in the Academy so she had no idea what it actually looked like. In fact, only the recruits, instructors, and faculty were allowed in the building. Sakura remembered something about extreme security measures when it came to shinobi-recruits.

The front courtyard of the Academy was partially full.

"Ino-chan! Ino-chan!"

A large body holding bag of chips waved at Ino from the middle of the courtyard, standing next to a sleepy looking boy. Ino grinned in response and dragged Sakura and Naruto towards the kid, "Choji-kun! Shika-kun! Boy, am I glad to see you two!"

Ino let go of Sakura's elbow and she felt strangely adrift as the girl greeted the two boys. A shoulder knocked against her and Naruto smiled at her.

"These two are Haruno Sakura – top in our class – and Uzumaki Naruto."

The two boys looked at her and she had to bite back a nervous giggle, "nice to meet you…?

The bigger boy spoke first, "Akimichi, Choji Akimichi, and this is Nara Shikamaru."

Sakura went to shake their hands, Naruto trailing after her, "Naruto-kun here is the best prankster – I bet he'll make chūnin before any of us."

She heard Naruto choke but continued, "and I plan to advance right behind him."

The Nara bit out a laugh but shook Naruto's hand regardless, "big talk."

Sakura scoffed, "you could, too, if you tried. You could've been top if you didn't nap in class."

Ino punched his shoulder, "that sounds like something Shika-kun would do, the bastard."

Nara went to reply, but before he could get a word out, a loud whistle sounded from the front of main building. After a long hush fell over the recruits, the front doors to the Academy opened and twelve shinobi filed out followed by the _Hokage. _The twelve shinobi split into two units, stopping when six stood on either side of the Hokage.

The Hokage cleared his throat and looked out on the crowd of kids, "welcome to the Academy. As your Hokage, I praise your interest in protecting our village and our people."

The Hokage swept his gimlet gaze over the kids, catching on Sakura. She started a bit but relaxed when his gaze left her.

"Your journey through the Academy will not be easy, nor should it be. If you graduate, you will be asked to complete harrowing and terrifying tasks – some of which may cost you your life or the lives of your colleagues."

Naruto shifted where he stood until his shoulders met with Sakura's, she glanced towards him and smiled – a silent gesture of support.

"You embark on a dangerous journey but we open our arms to you as mentors, as teachers, and as friends. We are honored to provide you with the skillset to become the best of the best, to survive unthinkable conditions. We welcome you to the Academy and as recruits to the Shinobi Corps."

The crowd of kids, _of recruits_, broke out in applause.

_Recruits, _Sakura thought to herself, _they were recruits now – not kids._

"We are also honored to welcome the largest batch of recruits in our Academy's history! Your batch's historic size has caused _quite _the logistical challenge. However, we have tailored the curriculum as needed.

You will be separated into four units: Unit Raccoon, Unit Frog, Unit Crane, and Unit Turtle."

Naruto bumped into Sakura and she held his hand, she could practically _feel_ his nerves. Before them, the two groups of six shinobi split into two, leaving four groups of three.

"Each unit will have one group of three instructors and each group of three will rotate units, as dictated by the curriculum. Unit Raccoon!"

The first group of shinobi stepped forward and – _and is one wearing a cat mask? – _the Hokage continued to speak, "I will call the names of the recruits who will make up Unit Raccoon: Abe Kasumi –"

At this point, even Sakura was nervous.

"– Haruno Sakura – "

Sakura stiffened and glanced around, Ino was whispering rapidly to the Nara who only elbowed her in the side.

"– Nara Shikamaru – "

_Well_, Sakura thought, _at least that's one person I sort of know. _To her side, she could see the Nara glance over Ino to her. She nodded at him and he nodded back.

"– Uzumaki Naruto – "

Naruto's hand tightened around hers and she felt herself relax. She closed her eyes and tried to back track, _how many people had the Hokage called? _

Sakura flinched when she felt hot air near her ear, "Hokage-sama called twenty-five names."

She looked to her side and saw the Nara look at her with a bit of amusement. She scoffed and looked at the Hokage, who was asking the second group of instructors to step forward, "don't sneak up on me like that."

The Nara settled at her side and bumped into her, "well, I didn't want to yell it at you."

"– who will make up Unit Frog: Aburame Shino, Akimichi Choji – "

Shikamaru turned to mouth something to Choji, probably something encouraging, and Naruto whispered to her, "what'd he say?"

"Told me the number of recruits in our unit. Twenty-five."

Naruto gave a half-interested hum and Sakura turned to look at their instructors. She was curious as to who Cat-Mask was. She had long purple hair and wore grey armor over black clothes and _had a tattoo._ Cat-mask looked _cool _and Sakura intensely wished she could wear the red dress her parents had gotten her for graduation instead of her bulky PT gear.

"– Uchiha Sasuke – "

She focused on Cat-Mask, wondering if Cat-Mask was even a her, when Shikamaru turned back to her to whisper, "twenty-four."

Sakura nodded and whispered the number to Naruto who shifted in place. When the Hokage prepared to announce the Unit Crane, Sakura heard Ino let out a whine and Shikamaru respond with, "you're the most social person I know, _you'll be fine._"

"– Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba – "

Ino whispered furiously at the Nara who only elbowed her.

"– and Yamanaka Ino."

Ino settled down and the Nara sighed in relief. The Hokage quickly read through Unit Turtle and continued onto his parting words. Sakura turned her gaze from Ino and Shikamaru to her instructors and froze.

_Cat-Mask is staring straight at me. _

_Well, _Sakura thought, _at least I know now they have brown eyes._

Though feeling thoroughly intimidated, she didn't turn away. She held Cat-Mask's stare for what seemed like an eternity until Cat-Mask looked to her side. She felt Shikamaru freeze and quickly look away.

"– and though we want to craft a cohesive force, we will rank each unit and assign individual rankings to each recruit. We want you to strive for your best and to _be_ the best, though lower rankings will require remedial work – this applies to both individuals and units.

On my leave, units will gather and instruction will start."

The Hokage lifted both arms, reminiscent of a conductor for an orchestra, "welcome to the Academy."

The man disappeared in a whirl of smoke and leaves, the kids around her oohing and aahing at the spectacle before another whistle sounded.

Sakura grabbed Naruto and Shikamaru and pushed her way through the chaotic crowd towards their instructors. Shikamaru scrambled for his bag as he and Naruto fell in place behind her. They were the first of their unit to arrive and one of the instructors, a man with brown, gravity defying hair and dark glasses, gave her an appraising look. Cat-Mask looked in their general direction but Sakura didn't feel her glacial stare. After a bit of time, their third instructor began to count the recruits who had made it over to them. Their third instructor wore white robes denoting his medical-nin status. The instructor with glasses stepped forward after the med-nin nodded, "Unit Raccoon! Form three lines!"

Sakura stepped to the front, Shikamaru and Naruto fell into line to her left. After a moment, their second instructor continued, "I am Yamashiro, I am a representative from our Intelligence Agencies."

Their third instructor stepped forward, "I am Kanpō, I am a representative from our Medical Corps."

Cat-Mask stepped forward, "I am Cat, I am a representative from ANBU, our Special Assassination and Tactical Squad. We are to serve as your instructors for this first rotation."

Cat-Mask walked to Sakura, who stood at the end of the first line. Yamashiro to the second line and Kanpō to the third before Cat-Mask continued, "you will follow us to Unit Raccoon's barracks, keep pace!"

Their instructors began to jog and Unit Raccoon scrambled to follow. Sakura, keeping a quick pace, watched as the instructors of Unit Crane began to shout at their recruits.

_Yikes._

Unit Raccoon jogged through the front doors of the Academy and a chill fell over Sakura's shoulders. The main building of the Academy was cold and spartan with numerous hallways spreading in every direction. Their instructors led them through the back of the main building and the length of the back courtyard before turning towards a concrete building. Sakura felt sweat form on her brow and could hear Naruto panting behind her and another recruit to her right.

Unit Raccoon stopped at the first of many small, concrete buildings. Their barracks felt warmer than the main building had but only by a little. Thirteen bunk beds lined the walls and at the end of the room was one large communal bathroom.

"Alright, recruits, claim a bed."

Sakura scrambled to the closest top bunk, to the right of the front door. She watched as Shikamaru claimed her bottom bunk and Naruto the bunk to her left. In examining the bunk bed, she noticed two small, empty nameplates and a pen attached to them. Sakura spared a look at her instructors stared back at her with bored expressions. She startled and looked back at her nameplate. She certainly wasn't expecting such intensity off the bat. She carefully wrote her name and attached the pen back to the name plate. Shikamaru quickly followed suit and before she could see if Naruto had done the same, Yamashiro was yelling at them again, "form a line at the foot of your beds and bring your bags!"

Cat-Mask yelled from behind them, "move, move, _move!_"

Sakura and Shikamaru bumped into each other before lining up shoulder to shoulder.

Cat-Mask begun the dig into Nara's bag and Yamashiro started in on the recruit across the room.

_Well, _Sakura thought to herself, _this certainly isn't the Civilian Academy._

"– did you really think you'd have time to play _shoji_, lazy-bones?"

Later that night, as she lay exhausted in bed, Sakura wondered what exactly she got herself into. Her careful preparation hadn't been enough, nowhere_ near _enough. By the end of their first lesson in taijutsu she had been kicked to the ground more times than she would count by Cat-Mask who, she suspected, had it out for her. Was it payback for the staring or showing a bit of knowledge about katas? She'd never know. She was certain her bruises had bruises and she didn't even have enough energy to be wary about showering and changing in front of the other recruits earlier.

"_Psst_, Haruno."

Sakura groaned and looked out at Naruto, confused. The kid was sound asleep, a disgusting snot bubble expanding as he snored.

"_Down here_."

She poked her head out over the edge of her bed and looked down at Nara, "what."

Nara shushed her and made a show of looking around but all Sakura felt was annoyed. Their sleeping time was technically their free time, they could do what they wanted with it – though, it was generally advisable to actually _sleep _during sleeping time.

"_Come down here, I need to talk with you_."

Sakura groaned and slid off her bunk, landing lightly on the floor. She sat on the floor, legs splayed out, and looked up at Nara, "what do you need to talk with me about."

"_Are you going to whisper_?"

"No."

Nara grumbled something that Sakura maturely decided to ignore and pushed a standard notebook at her. Sakura took it, an eyebrow raised, and flipped open the book.

"We need to plan for top spots."

The notebook was filled with his stats, her stats, _Naruto's stats_, "okay, when did you find all of this out?"

"During our physical tests. It's obvious you've had some sort of training, Uzumaki made it through taijutsu by sheer force of will and me by my clan training. It's not enough, though."

Sakura waved her hands, cradling the open book on her knees, "wait, okay, go back. Top spots for the three of us?"

Nara scoffed, "obviously, you wouldn't strategize with me if Naruto wasn't included."

Sakura just looked up at Nara, eyes uncomprehending, and he palmed his face.

"Listen, you obviously know how to self-train, and this is obviously gonna require a lot of self-training."

"This?"

Nara motioned with his hands at something invisible, "this – the Academy! Top spots!"

"Why top spot, though? You didn't want top when you were at the Civvie Academy."

Nara huffed, "Cat-sensei knows I didn't try. They threatened me with remedial training if I slacked."

Theatrically, Nara flopped back on his bed, "today was hell, can you imagine what remedial training would be like?"

Sakura grimaced. She didn't even want to _think _about what remedial training could look like."

"Okay, I'm in."

Nara slid off his bed and met her on the floor, the only sound around them the soft snores of their unit mates.

"Let's get started, then."


End file.
